The invention relates to a freewheel having two machine parts which are arranged one inside the other and can be rotated with respect to one another about an axis. One machine part is a smooth cylindrical clamping track and the other machine part is provided on its circumferential face facing the smooth cylindrical clamping track with clamping ramps which follow one another in the circumferential direction. It has a cage which is arranged between the machine parts and which is formed from rims and webs which connect these rims to one another, and pockets for clamping rollers which are sprung against the smooth cylindrical clamping track. The clamping ramps are formed between webs which are adjacent to one another at the circumference. The cage forms, with the other machine part, a positively locking connection in order to secure it against rotation with respect to this other machine part.
Such a clamping roller freewheel is known, for example, from DE 44 42 404 C2. This freewheel has a smooth cylindrical cage which is made of plastic and which is arranged between an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve and holds clamping rollers in its pockets which are formed by webs. The circumferential faces, facing one another, of the two sleeves have inner and outer raceways, the inner raceway being provided with clamping ramps. Between adjacent clamping ramps of the inner raceway, axial grooves are provided, into which radial projections of the cage, which are integrally formed on, engage in a positively locking fashion in such a way that this plastic cage is arranged fixed in terms of rotation with respect to the inner sleeve. These projections are integrally formed on to the inner diameter of the cage as knobs.
A disadvantage here is that this plastic cage has a low degree of stability and only has a very small lubricant reservoir space. As a result the plastic knobs which are integrally formed on may shear off from the internal diameter so that the cage cannot be positioned correctly. It is also disadvantageous that the process of mounting the freewheeling unit is made more difficult owing to the large number of projections which are integrally formed on and which engage in the axial groove.